Opinion
Summer, sun, adventure? Not for me!
by Debora Pape
Boys, beer and amorous antics: what’s better at 30 than at 20
22/8/2023
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Darina Schweizer
I recently celebrated 12 years of legally being an adult. In other words, I’m 30. I like being ten years older, despite the aches and pains. And I’ll tell you why.
Ariane Grande is. As is German singer Wincent Weiss. And so’s Harry Kane. They all turned 30 this year, just like me. I still can’t quite believe it. Wasn’t I only just 20? How’d that happen? In any case, I’ve been thinking about my age quite a bit. These are my insights that shouldn’t be taken personally, but with a pinch of salt.
1. Men
When I was 20, 30-year-old men were old to me. Ancient, to be precise. Now that I’m 30, I don’t feel the same way about blokes in their forties. Not only do I find Michael Fassbender attractive, but many other middle-aged men, too. Grey temples and with both feet firmly on the ground. I must say, I like it. The sight of 20-year-olds, on the other hand, at most awakens my maternal instinct that’s lying dormant somewhere inside me.
2. Birthdays
3. Presents
4. Beer
If there’s one thing I couldn’t bring myself to drink in my twenties, it was beer. The mere smell of it when someone opened a bottle would make me gag. Age 30, beer’s still a challenge. But if I must, I can manage a few sips of it. Provided I can wash it down with a glass of Rioja. Or water.
5. Water
6. Drivers
«They know what they’re doing,» I used to think about people in cars when I was 20. At 30, all I’m thinking is «help!» For they know not what they do. Or maybe they know but just aren’t doing it. Even when I’m cycling I double-check what’s going on to the left and right of me. My driving instructor used to call it the «Thurgau check». Because you never know if drivers from eastern Switzerland will stick to the rules.
7. Friends
8. Antics
In my twenties, I wasn’t big on long nights and total excess. But now that I’m 30, that’s changed. These days, I’m no longer on one book a week and reading until 2 a.m. Nope. I’ve recently gone on a three-book bender by three thirty in the morning. I know I mentioned it in the bit about fizzy water and lemon. But it begs repeating. I’m a rebel at heart. So how do I feel the morning after? You’ll probably have a rough idea after reading point 9.
But first, three recommendations to sooth a book hangover.
9. Back
My back’s sore. So’s my shoulder. In fact, my whole body’s sore. Unlike in my twenties, which included the odd twinge at the base of my spine, I hurt from head to toe now that I’m 30. Not constantly, of course. Sometimes just stretching twice will do to align my body with a loud crack. On the plus side, I can sit down without feeling bad. You know, my back and that. Nobody would’ve bought that one in my twenties.
10. Tolerance
How have you changed over the past ten years? Let me know in the comments!
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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